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Ric Klass, a novelist, screenwriter and director, died July 9 in New York after a brief illness. He was 67.
Klass wrote, produced and directed Excuse Me for Living, an independent romantic comedy based on his novel of the same name; both the book and film were released in October. The cast included Christopher Lloyd, Jerry Stiller, Robert Vaughn, Wayne Knight and Dick Cavett.
In 1989, Klass wrote, produced and directed his only other film, Elliot Fauman, Ph.D., which premiered at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and later aired on Cinemax.
Excuse Me for Living won first place for fiction at the Los Angeles Book Festival this year and was a finalist for ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year in the adult fiction category. Klass’ memoir Man Overboard: Confessions of a Novice Math Teacher in the Bronx was a Montaigne Medal finalist in the Eric Hoffer Book Awards for the most thought-provoking title.
He was a member of the WGA East and the Authors Guild.
Klass, a native of Columbus, Ohio, attended Harvard and was a NASA scientist on the Apollo program that landed the first man on the moon. He also worked in real estate and corporate finance and taught high school math.
Survivors include his wife, Anne, son, Joe, and daughter, Hayley. Contributions may be made to MIT, Memorial Gifts, 600 Memorial Drive, W98-500, Cambridge, Mass. 02139.
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